Swapped Futures
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: M&MWP, light slash, oneshot. A life in hiding is not easy, but it will do for now. *Happy belated birthday, Morghen!* *Slight AU only for Regulus & the Prewetts living. Established!Regideon. Mention if used, thx.


**Swapped Futures**

A HariPo oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Harry Potter_ characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not me. **The pairing Regulus/Gideon was discovered by my twin, ****Morghen****, so please give her a little mention if you write them**! **Thanks**! It is one of many of **Mew and Mor's Weird Pairings**, most of which you may find in the **M&MWP forum. **Check out and join the forum FUN! Read, review, and enjoy! Note: This is inspired by her oneshot, "we will be the last ones standing," the 1st Regideon fic, which is a must-read. ;D

Happy belated birthday, **Morghen**. :} I'm just sorry I didn't get this done sooner!

- ^-^3

He shut the door behind him. "Fabian's pissed."

Regulus Black's granite-colored eyes slid across the living room to the other wizard. "When isn't he?" Regulus asked.

Gideon Prewett ran a hand through his red hair as he closed his blue eyes. "You're right. I hate to say it since he's my twin, but you're right." He looked at his lover. "You're always right," Gideon said softly.

The Black brother looked away and picked up Basil, their cat. "I don't mean to be or want to be…"

"No, no…" Gideon sighed and shucked his coat. Then he went over to Regulus, reached over, and stroked Basil. She purred happily. "He always finds something to be upset about, these days."

"What's today's hot button?"

"…Dorcas."

Regulus nodded and said nothing. Often Fabian was upset about Dorcas Meadowes, and Regulus didn't blame him. Regulus had known Gideon intimately for about five years—or was it now six?—and so he'd come to know Fabian by association. He and Fabian didn't get along well, but he reckoned he was in better standing now that most people believed Regulus to be dead.

But that was not the truth. Regulus had learned of Voldemort's secret use of Horcruxes and had found one—but he could not destroy it. He had no idea how to do so. So he'd escaped the cave where it was hidden and had gone to Gideon for help. They in turn had gone to Dumbledore, despite Regulus' fears of retribution…and Dumbledore had saved him. Granted, it meant he was in hiding, but in return for giving Dumbledore the Horcrux to figure out its destruction he was able to live with Gideon. Simply, that was all he wanted.

"But, for our purposes, no one else may know," the aged wizard had told them.

So while Regulus and Gideon holed up, they watched Gideon's friends be picked off one by one. There was a scare with Fabian and Gideon, but it put them in hiding, too. Now only Fabian knew, and Regulus figured part of Fabian's anger was pure jealousy. Dorcas had been the love of the older twin, and he'd been set on marrying her after the war. That could no longer happen, and only Gideon was happy. It was salt in an old wound: Fabian had never liked Regulus to begin with, and now Regulus had been granted the life which Fabian probably believed only Dorcas deserved.

But it didn't mean things were easy for Regulus, either. …no, he'd not venture there today.

"What do you want to do today?" Gideon murmured.

Regulus gave it some though. "Read a _Prophet_."

The redhead laughed darkly and shook his head. "Not going to happen."

"I won't read the names, promise."

Gideon frowned. "Regulus… It's not a good idea."

His voice wavered, which only worried Regulus. "Gid…what's in the paper today?" They barely had any contact with the outside world, especially Regulus. For all he knew, his brother was dead. And yes, it had taken Regulus a long time to understand his brother's viewpoint and begin to embrace it, but a brother was still a brother. He still loved Sirius, no matter what negative things he'd said before. Those simply had been the words of an angry child with no idea of social politics.

Finally he realized Gideon's eyes were red. Oh. Why hadn't he noticed before? Something really was wrong… "Reg…"

The older man sat on the arm of the couch and wrapped his right arm around Regulus' shoulders. Then the other arm came up and wrapped around him, too. At last, Gideon's face burrowed into Regulus' mass of jet curls. And Regulus felt the hot tears on his scalp.

"The Potters…" He breathed hard. "They're dead."

The younger Black didn't know what to do with the information. He'd known Potter to be an indecent person at times, but Evans had seemed all right. And he knew they'd had a child—it was why Voldemort had gone after them and after the Longbottoms…

"Only Harry survived. He's an orphan now…"

Regulus shook his head in disbelief. "But my brother—" The words died on his tongue as Gideon stared at him long and hard.

"I know I told you they made Sirius his godfather, but…Harry can't go with him, Reg."

"But…why?"

"Sirius… Sirius did it. He revealed their whereabouts."

Regulus' ears rang. How could this be? It didn't make sense! "That's ridiculous—I was the one on the Dark side! And I changed sides! There are no Black brothers working for You-Know-Who!"

Gideon shook his head. "Fabian said something to Dumbledore, who had already been suspicious. If you could come to us, then Sirius could have gone to…_him_."

Regulus grimaced and pulled away from Gideon. "That's utterly stupid. Potter was—" He swallowed. "He was closer to my brother than even I was." An idea popped into his head, and he looked back at the redhead. "Wait—what about Lupin? He and my brother were thicker than thieves-I'm sure of it. Lupin can alibi him."

"Reg…"

"Don't 'Reg' me! Go on! Tell that beaten hat of a wizard that Lupin was my brother's lover. Anyone would have to be an idiot to deny it. And Lupin can vouch for him—Sirius would never embrace that which he hated."

"And you're the same?" Gideon dragged a hand over his face. "Regulus, people switch sides without telling anyone. It happens. And…and, besides, Lupin was holed up on another mission elsewhere." His face was pale. "Peter apparently yelled that Sirius betrayed James and Lily before Sirius blew him and twelve Muggles up."

The news was worse than drinking the basin full of poison to get Voldemort's locket. _Two_ Marauders, betrayed by another? "…no."

"They say he snapped."

"_No_."

"I'm only telling you what I heard, Regulus."

But this was not how it was supposed to go. Sirius was meant to have a happy ending. Sirius was meant to live peacefully with Lupin and grow old with him and Potter and Evans. He was supposed to be the doting uncle that Regulus knew he would've been with the Potter kid. Sirius was supposed to be mourning the loss of a brother who'd never actually betrayed him.

Now Regulus was supposed to live out his days knowing that everything was wrong and hoping that maybe someday Voldemort would be killed—

He looked to Gideon.

"Voldemort's gone…it seems." His grin was so fake, it was painful. "Harry survived miraculously. A baby defeated the Dark Lord."

Again, it didn't make sense. Regulus was not supposed to have this life, much as he loved Gideon. He was not supposed to have Gideon. He was not supposed to be happy.

Harry Potter was meant to grow up with two stupid parents, and Sirius was meant not to rot in Azkaban but to spoil his godson and Remus Lupin for the rest of their lives.

Gideon looked at Regulus. He brushed some hair out of the smaller man's face and bent forward, giving him a kiss full of pain and hurt and sorrow.

Regulus tasted all of it. It was too heavy a price for happiness.

- ^-^3

**URGH. Regideon, like, refuses to be anything but angsty… :/ I almost wanna continue this, but maybe sometime in the future. It'd be interesting to see what would've happened **_**had**_** Reg, Gid, and Fab survived… And if things would've been different had more than just Gid and Fab known Reg was alive… :O**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review! And HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, MORGHEN! *twin snuggles***

**-mew-tsubaki :')**


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